Ludwig Persius
Encyclopedia
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
– 12 July 1845 in Potsdam) was a Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
.
Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Castle and the Roman Baths
Roman Baths (Potsdam)
The Roman Baths , northeast of the Charlottenhof Palace in the Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, reflect the Italiensehnsucht of its creator Frederick William IV of Prussia...
in Sanssouci Park
Sanssouci Park
Sanssouci Park is a large park surrounding Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany. Following the terracing of the vineyard and the completion of the palace, the surroundings were included in the structure. A baroque flower garden with lawns, flower beds, hedges and trees was created. In the hedge...
in Potsdam. He was also involved with the construction of the Great Fountain, the Church of Peace
Church of Peace (Sanssouci)
The Protestant Church of Peace is situated in the Marly Gardens on the Green Fence in the palace grounds of Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany. The church was built according to the wishes and with the close involvement of the artistically gifted King Frederick William IV and designed by the court...
, and the Orangery
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
and observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
on the Ruinenberg
Ruinenberg
From the north side of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, between the columns, one can see the colonnade of the court of the Ruinenberg on the other side....
opposite Sanssouci
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
Palace.
Life
Persius was born in PotsdamPotsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, where he went to public school and grammar school. From 1817 to 1819 he worked with the building inspector Gotthil Hecker; he enrolled as a carpenter. From 1819 he studied to become a surveyor at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and took his exam in March 1821. From 1821 he worked as a building planner in Potsdam, working under, among others, Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
during the building of the castle and church on the grounds of Graf Potocki at Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. In 1824 Persius became a member of the Association of Architects. In Glienicke
Glienicke
Glienicke may refer to:* Glienicke Bridge* Glienicke Palace ,* Glienicke/Nordbahn, to the north of Berlin* Glienicker Lake, part of lake Wannsee in BerlinGlienicke may also refer to:...
he worked as a successful architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
under Schinkel. In 1826 he passed his exam to become a master builder at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin, and became a building planner in Charlottenhof.
In 1827 he married Pauline Sello (1808–1883), with whom he had six children: Elisabeth (1929–80), Ludwig (1832–1902), Marie (1834–47), Reinhold (1835–1912), Conrad (1836–1903) and Felix (1842–1885).
In 1829 Persius became a building inspector with the Royal Government in Potsdam. In 1833 he completed his first independent work, renovating the artificial mills (near the Roman Baths) into a residential house for Handmann, the gardener. In 1834 he became the Royal Court Building Inspector.
In 1840 he made a journey on the Rhine, that brought him to, among others, Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and Bacharach
Bacharach
Bacharach is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not within its bounds....
, as well as the Stolzenfels Castle
Stolzenfels Castle
Stolzenfels Castle is a castle near Koblenz on the Rhine, Germany.Finished in 1259, Stolzenfels was used to protect the toll station at the Rhine, where the ships, back then were the main transport for goods, had to stop and pay toll...
and Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
Festung Ehrenbreitstein
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is a fortress on the mountain of the same name on the east bank of the Rhine opposite the town of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate....
. In 1841 he travelled to Paris, and went on to visit Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Andernach
Andernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
, Remagen-Rolandseck
Remagen
Remagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
, Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. In 1842 he went on a further journey: to Lehnin
Lehnin
Kloster Lehnin or Lehnin is a municipality in the German state of Brandenburg, about southeast of Brandenburg an der Havel.-Overview:It was established on April 1, 2002 by the merger of 13 villages:...
, Chorin
Chorin
Chorin is a municipality in the district of Barnim in Brandenburg, Germany. It is most famous for its cloister and for being situated within the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. It is famous for its medieval Brick Gothic Chorin Abbey ....
, Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
and thence to Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
.
In 1841 Frederick William IV
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
named Persius as his court architect. In 1842 he became a Royal Architectural Advisor and member of the Chief Architectural Authority. In 1843/44 Persius worked for Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau
Hermann von Pückler-Muskau
Prince was a German nobleman, who was an excellent artist in landscape gardening and wrote widely appreciated books, mostly about his travels in Europe and Northern Africa, published under the pen name of "Semilasso".- Life :He was born at Muskau Castle in Upper Lusatia, then ruled by...
among others.
In 1843 he made a further journey on the Rhine, which included Bingen
Bingen am Rhein
Bingen am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.The settlement’s original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant “hole in the rock”, a description of the shoal behind the Mäuseturm, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
, Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
and Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
. In 1844 he travelled to Bad Muskau
Bad Muskau
Bad Muskau is a spa town in the historic Upper Lusatia region in Germany at the border with Poland. It is part of the Görlitz district in the State of Saxony....
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. In 1845 he undertook a journey to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
via Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and Genua to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
, Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
.
In 1845 Persius was appointed as Head Architectural Advisor with retrospective effect from 12 October 1842. On 12 July 1845 he died and was laid to rest in the Bornstedt Cemetery in Sello-Teil (near the Krongut Bornstedt).
Built in co-operation with Schinkel
- 1821, castle and church on the grounds of Graf Potocki at KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
Remaining
- 1833, house in Sanssouci Park near the Roman Baths
- 1834/35, Traveller's and Fisherman's House in Uetz (in Uetz-Paaren, near PotsdamPotsdamPotsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
) - 1837/38, Schierstedt Farmhouse in Gräben-Dahlen
- 1838/39, gardener and machine house, the Devil's Bridge, Orangery and greenhouse in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee)
- 1840, Stibadium in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee)
- 1840/41, Entenfang Establishment at the Safari ParkSafari parkA safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial tourist attraction where visitors can drive in their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals...
(in Geltow, Schwielowsee) as well as the rebuilding of the side wings of the Sanssouci Palace - 1840-42, Rebuilding of Glienicke Castle (in Berlin-Wannsee)
- 1841, Prince's Underforester's House at Moorlake (in Berlin-Wannsee); first blueprints for the Church of PeaceChurch of Peace (Sanssouci)The Protestant Church of Peace is situated in the Marly Gardens on the Green Fence in the palace grounds of Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany. The church was built according to the wishes and with the close involvement of the artistically gifted King Frederick William IV and designed by the court...
(completed in 1844) - 1841/42, Stag Gate in Glienicke Park; first, second and third Forester's Establishment and the Gamekeeper's House in the Safari Park; Blueprints for the dome of the Church of St. Nikolai (completed in 1950)
- 1841-43, Conversion of the Royal Civil Cabinet House (in Potsdam, Allee nach Sanssouci 6); Head gardener's House in Sello (now the Villa Kache in Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 2); Steam engine house for Sanssouci (in Potsdam, Breite Str. 28); steam flour mills of the former Preußische Seehandlung (in Potsdam, Zeppelinstr. 136)
- 1841-44, Church of the RedeemerChurch of the Redeemer, SacrowThe Protestant Church of the Redeemer is located in the south of the village of Sacrow, which since 1939 is incorporated to Potsdam, the capital of the German Bundesland of Brandenburg. It is famous for its Italian Romanesque Revival architecture with a separate campanile and for its...
and Roman Bank in Potsdam-Sacrow (Krampnitzer Str. 9); Fountains and minor architectural details in SanssouciSanssouciSanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
Park; Atrium and Pergola in the Paradise Garden (completed in 1848); Mulberry Alley, now part of the Botanical Gardens at the University of PotsdamUniversity of PotsdamThe University of Potsdam is a German university, situated across four campuses in Potsdam, Brandenburg, including the New Palace of Sanssouci and the Park Babelsberg.- Profile :...
- 1842, north wing of the Picture Gallery and conversion of the New Chambers (near Sanssouci Palace); Blueprints of the Exedra on RuinenbergRuinenbergFrom the north side of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, between the columns, one can see the colonnade of the court of the Ruinenberg on the other side....
(completed 1843/44) - 1842-44, Charlottenhof Pheasantry (in Potsdam, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 36)
- 1842/43, Blueprints for the Körner Repository on the site of the Department of Provisions (in Potsdam, Leipziger Str. 7/8); Hunter's Gate in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee)
- 1843, Seaman's House in Schweizerstil in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee); Blueprints for the Villa Tieck (completed 1845/46; in Potsdam, Schopenhauerstr. 24); Blueprints for Ahok House (completed 1845; in Potsdam, Weinbergstr. 9); Plans for the conversion of the Villa Illaire (formerly the house of the head gardener Voss; completed 1846)
- 1843/44, Brandt House (in Potsdam, Zeppelinstr. 189); Orangery in Fürst-Pückler Park in Bad MuskauBad MuskauBad Muskau is a spa town in the historic Upper Lusatia region in Germany at the border with Poland. It is part of the Görlitz district in the State of Saxony....
; Viaduct in PotsdamPotsdamPotsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
-Bornstedt ("Devil's Grave Bridge" over the Bornstedt Durchstich); Preacher House in LehninLehninKloster Lehnin or Lehnin is a municipality in the German state of Brandenburg, about southeast of Brandenburg an der Havel.-Overview:It was established on April 1, 2002 by the merger of 13 villages:...
; Conversion and extension of the dairy farm in the New GardenNeuer Garten PotsdamThe Neuer Garten is a park of 102.5 hectares located southwest of Berlin, Germany, in northern Potsdam and bordering on the lakes Heiliger See and Jungfernsee. Starting in 1787, Frederick William II of Prussia arranged to have a new garden laid out on this site, and it came to be known by this... - 1843-45, Extension of Babelsberg Castle; Engine house and gatekeeper's house in Potsdam-BabelsbergPotsdam-BabelsbergBabelsberg is the largest district of the Brandenburg capital Potsdam in Germany. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as for Studio...
; Villa Tiedke (in Potsdam, Reiterweg 1); Villa SchöningenVilla SchöningenVilla Schöningen is a historic residence in the Potsdam district of suburban Berlin, at Berliner Strasse 86, located at the corner of Berlin Street and Swan Avenue, just west of the Glienicke Bridge....
(in Potsdam, Berliner Str. 86) - 1844, Blueprints for Lindstedt Castle (completed elsewhere in Potsdam); Blueprints for the Norman tower on the RuinenbergRuinenbergFrom the north side of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, between the columns, one can see the colonnade of the court of the Ruinenberg on the other side....
(completed 1845 under chief architectural advisor Ferdinand von ArnimFerdinand von ArnimFerdinand von Arnim was a German architect and watercolour-painter. He was a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ludwig Persius who mainly worked in Berlin and Potsdam....
); Blueprints for the Nedlitzer Farmhouse (in Potsdam-Neu Fahrland, Tschudistr. 1); Bornim Economy Grange (only the tower remains; in Potsdam, Max-Eyth-Allee); House of Master Carpenter Rietz (in Potsdam-Bornstedt, Ribbeckstr. 22); Blueprints for the church in Saarmund (completed 1846-48) - 1844/45, conversion of Minerva Box (in Potsdam, Kiezstr. 10)
- 1845, Farmyard in Glienicke Park (in Berlin-Wannsee); Blueprints for the church in Heringsdorf (1846-48 ausgeführt)
No longer remaining
- 1835-39, Villa Jacobs
- 1837, Villa Persius; Barns (Schweizerhaus) at the Historic Mill in SanssouciSanssouciSanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
Park - 1842, Gangway over the PotsdamPotsdamPotsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
City Canal - 1842/43, Kneib steam mills; Jacobs sugar silo
- 1844, Plans for the Nedlitz Northern Bridge (completed 1853/54, demolished 2001 despite preservationHistoric preservationHistoric preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
status); "To Doktor Faust" pub in Potsdam-Sacrow